Beach Feb 2016

February 11, 2016 

Volume 46, Issue 28 

Manhattan kids 

Dive Tribe 

End art Arctic light Cottage below

Considering A Major Remodeling Project in 2016? 

Architectural Design & Remodeling Seminar 

This informative seminar will help you learn: 

• Functioning designs to make the best of your living space. 

• Choosing a contractor: What to look for and how to hire. 

• Exploration of materials, from granite to quartz to more! 

Join us on 

Saturday 

February 27 th 

at 10:00 am

Michael Burstein is a probate and estate planning 

attorney. A graduate of the University of California, 

Hastings College of the Law in 1987, he is admitted 

to the California, Kansas and Oklahoma Bars and 

is a member of the Order of Distinguished Attorneys 

of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. 

As an estate and probate lawyer, Michael has prepared 

approximately 3,000 living trusts and more 

than 4,000 wills. 

An Estate Planning, 

Estate Administration, 

and Probate Attorney 

l Living Trusts 

l Wills 

l Powers of Attorney 

l Asset Protection 

l Veterans Benefits 

l Pet Trusts 

l Advance Health 

Care Directives 

l Insurance Trusts 

l Probate 

l Conservatorships 

l And Much More! 

Call us to schedule an appointment or for our 

FREE Guide: 

Selecting the Best Estate Planning Strategies 

111 North Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 250 

Manhattan Beach, California 90266 

310-545-7878 

STAFF 

February 11, 2016 

BEACH PEOPLE 

Volume 46, Issue 28 

14 Four-legged Addition by Roger Repohl 

Architect Michael Lee finds a way to preserve a traditional beach cottage 

while giving its owners more room for their young family. 

20 Dive tribe by Ryan McDonald 

Manhattan Beach Middle School friends discover the wildlife refuge just 

beyond the beach they grew up on. 

26 Until the sword falls by Bondo Wyszpolski 

El Segundo artist Karen Yee documents life under the Sword of 

Damocles. 

30 Brewing over food by Richard Foss 

Brewpub and restaurant Hop Saint takes both its brews and food 

seriously, with impressive results. 

26 The North Pull by Paul Isley 

Manhattan Beach businessman and photographer Paul Isley joins an 

expedition to the Arctic to document its beauty and importance to the 

lower latitudes. 

26 Hustling forward by Randy Angel 

Senior forward Cameron Williams helps the Sea Hawks move up from a 

losing season in division 2A to a winning team in division 1AA. 

PUBLISHER Kevin Cody, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Richard Budman, EDITORS Mark McDermott, Randy Angel, David Mendez, 

Caroline Anderson and Ryan McDonald, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Bondo Wyszpolski, DINING EDITOR Richard Foss, STAFF 

PHOTOGRAPHERS Ray Vidal, Brad Jacobson and Gloria Plascencia, CALENDAR Judy Rae, DISPLAY SALES Adrienne Slaughter, 

Tamar Gillotti, Amy Berg, and Shelley Crawford, CLASSIFIEDS Teri Marin, DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL MEDIA Jared Thompson, 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Tim Teebken, DESIGN CONSULTANT Bob Staake, BobStaake.com, FRONT DESK Judy Rae, INTERNS Sean 

Carroll 

EASY READER (ISSN 0194-6412) is published weekly by EASY READER, 2200 Pacific Cst. Hwy., #101, P.O. Box 427, Hermosa 

Beach, CA 90254-0427. Yearly domestic mail subscription $100.00; foreign, $200.00 payable in advance. POSTMASTER: Send 

address changes to EASY READER, P.O. Box 427, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. The entire contents of the EASY READER newspaper 

is Copyright 2016 by EASY READER, Inc. www.easyreadernews.com. The Easy Reader/Redondo Beach Hometown News 

is a legally adjudicated newspaper and the official newspaper for the city of Hermosa Beach. Easy Reader / Redondo Beach 

Hometown News is also distributed to homes and on newsstands in Manhattan Beach, El Segundo, Torrance, and Palos Verdes. 

CONTACT 

BEACH LIFE 

ON THE COVER 

Manhattan Beach Middle School 

freedivers Tanner Batcheller, Billy 

Atkinson, Sam Roskin, Teddy 

Stavropoulous and Hudson 

Fredrikzs at one of their favorite 

Palos Verdes dive sites. 

Photo by Pete Henze 

Editor’s note: Beach readers with vacation stories and photos they think 

would be of interest to other readers are invited to email them to 

EasyReader@EasyReaderNews.com. 

8 Beach calendar 

16 Attorney profiles 

10 Neptunian Chili Cook-off 24 Leadership Hermosa Beach 

38 Home Services 

n Mailing Address P.O. Box 427, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Phone (310) 372-4611 Fax (424) 212-6780 

n Website www.easyreadernews.com Email news@easyreadernews.com 

n Classified Advertising see the Classified Ad Section. Phone 310.372.4611 x107. Email displayads@easyreadernews.com 

n Fictitious Name Statements (DBA's) can be filed at the office during regular business hours. Phone 310.372.4611 x101. 

6 Easy Reader / Beach magazine • February 11, 2016

S O U T H B AY 

CAL ENDAR 

SURF HISTORY HAPPY HOUR 

HERMOSA HISTORICAL MUSEUM 

Thursday, Feb. 11. • 6 p.m. 

The Hermosa Beach Historical Society 

launches its beer and wine “Happy 

Hour with History” talks with a book 

signing by “Southern California Surf 

Music 1960-66” author John Blair. 

RSVP at (310) 318-9421 or HermosaBeachMuseumRSVP@gmail.com 

710 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach. 

INTERNATIONAL PEN SHOW 

MANHATTAN MARRIOTT 

Sunday, Feb. 14. • 10:30 a.m. 

Vintage as well as contemporary fountain 

pens, ball point pens and other 

writing instruments will be exhibited 

at the 28th annual Los Angeles International 

Pen Show. Guests are invited 

to bring in old pens to have their history 

and value determined. Rosecrans 

& Parkview, Manhattan Beach. (310) 

546-7511. LAInternationalPenShow. 

com. 

RUNNING IN THE STREETS 

AMERICAN MARTYRS SCHOOL 

Saturday, Feb. 20 • 8 a.m. 

Costume contest and stroller divisions 

are included in this fast and challenging 

3.1 mile run. $100 in gift certificates 

are given to the top male and 

female finishers. A healthy, continental 

breakfast in the school parking lot 

is offered after the race. 1701 Laurel 

Ave., Manhattan Beach.To register call 

(310) 243-6332 or visit RaceWire.com. 

BEAT THE DRUM FRIENDLY 

HERMOSA PIER 

Sunday, Feb. 21 • Noon 

Bring own instrument or use one of 

the Free To Be Me Drum Circle’s. 12 - 

3 p.m. Hermosa Beach Pier. For more 

information call Sabina at (310) 318- 

7191 or visit 

freetobemedrumcircle.com. 

OCEANS OF FRESH WATER 

WHITE POINT NATURE PRESERVE 

Sunday, Feb. 28 • 11 a.m. 

A “Drought, El Nino and Water Reliability” 

workshop, addressing conservation, 

recycling and desalination will 

be led by Ron Wildermuth of the West 

Basin Metro Water District. 11 a.m. 

White Point Nature Preserve, 1600 

Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro. RSVP at 

info@pvplc.org. 

A FUNNY VALENTINE 

HERMOSA LIBRARY 

Saturday, Feb. 13. • 2 p.m. 

The April’s Fools Comedy Improv 

Troupe takes off on the Valentine Day 

weekend. Free. 550 Pier Ave, Hermosa 

Beach. colapublib.org. 

REDONDO STATE OF THE CITY 

CROWNE PLAZA 

Tuesday, Feb. 16. • 7:30 a.m. 

Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel 

will have plenty on his plate as he 

eflects on his city’s past and future. 

Registration 7 a.m. 300 North Harbor 

Drive, Redondo Beach. Register at 

(310) 376-6911 or Redondo 

Chamber.org/Events. 

READY TO RESUSCITATE 

JOSLYN CENTER 

Saturday, Feb. 20 • 8 a.m. 

First Aid, CPR/AED training, with 2 

year certificate is offered at no charge 

to residents and employees of Manhattan 

Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo 

Beach. $55 for non residents, 

Pre-enroll to be assured a seat. Email 

Jeanne@1certtraining@gmail.com 

with your full name, phone, email and 

home address. 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Joslyn 

Center, 1601 North Valley Drive, Manhattan 

Beach, just north of Fire Station 

#1. 

FIERY FIDDLES 

HERMOSA COMMUNITY THEATER 

Saturday, Mar. 5 • 7:30 p.m. 

Fiddlers and Gaelic singers and 

dancers return to Hermosa for the 

35th Annual Spring Concert. 710 Pier 

Ave., Hermosa Beach. For more information 

ScottishFiddlers.org. Tickets at 

BrownPaperTickets. 

“THE WAR IN HEAVEN” 

HERMOSA 2ND STORY THEATER 

Friday, Feb. 12 • 8 p.m. 

Hermosa playwright Angelo Masino’s 

past plays have seemed to loom too 

large for the 85-seat 2nd Story Theatre. 

His latest work of New Testament 

figures offering color 

commentary on the Apocalypse also 

promises to knock the audience back 

in its seats. Continuing on Feb. 19, 20, 

27, Mar. 4, 11, 18 and 19. 710 Pier 

Ave., Hermosa Beach. (310) 374-9767 

or email AngelVisionP@gmail.com. 

A SINATRA VALENTINE 

LIVE AT THE LOUNGE 

Thursday, Feb. 17 • 6:30 p.m. 

Dennis McNeil and keyboard accompanist 

Ed Martel perform the songs 

and invoke the spirit of Frank Sinatra 

on Ol’ Blue Eyes’s 100th Valentine anniversary. 

Doors and dinner at 6:30. 

Show at 7:30. The Lounge (next to 

Comedy and Magic Club), 1018 Hermosa 

Ave., Hermosa Beach. For reservations 

call (310) 372-1193 or visit 

LiveAtTheLounge.com. 

TASMANIAN DEVIL PADDLERS 

HERMOSA PLAYHOUSE 

Saturday, Feb. 20 • 7 p.m. 

“A Date with the Strait” and “The 

Story of Ocean of Hope” have their 

South Bay premiers at the Hermosa 

Beach Playhouse Theater. “Strait” 

chronicles Palos Verdes’ Jack Bark and 

Australians Zeb Walsh and Brad Gaul 

on the first ever paddleboard crossing 

of the nearly 200 mile wide Bass 

Strait, separating Australia and Tasmania. 

“Hope” tells the story of paddlers 

who support the Sarcoma Alliance. 

Doors open at 6 p.m. for craft beers 

and raffle. Screening at 7 p.m. Tickets 

atgofundme.com/oceanofhope. 

SEARCH FOR A CURE 

HERMOSA KIWANIS HALL 

Saturday, Mar. 5 • 5 p.m. 

Adrienne Slaughter (pictured with last 

year’s Search for a Cure co-host Jack 

Witherspoon) host the 10 anniversary 

Search for A Cure For Children’s Cancer. 

2515 Valley Dr., Hermosa Beach 

Tickets at WomensClubOfHermosaBeach.org. 

B 


February 11, 2016 • Easy Reader / Beach magazine 9

each food 

NEPTUNIAN CLUB CHILI-COOKOFF 

O 

ver 400 people sampled chili from 16 local restaurants 

at the Manhattan Beach Fire station on Saturday, January 

30 during the Neptunian Woman’s Club’s Second 

Annual South Bay Chili Cook-Off. Sausal chef Anne Conness 

captured the Crowd Favorite title with her El Segundo restaurant’s 

pork chili verde with sweet corn elote. Conness described 

her chili as “a slow-simmered pork stew, flavored with tomatillos, 

chilis, spices and cilantro. We top the stew with charred 

corn, chipotle crema and pico de gallo.” 

FishBar received the Fireman’s Favorite award and MB Post 

received the Committee’s Favorite Award. The chili contest was 

followed by an after party on the rooftop deck of title sponsor 

Plaza Bank. 

Chevron, Strand Brewing Company and zinc@Shade were 

the VIP sponsors. Other sponsors included Uncorked, Grow, 

Corner Bakery, Lemonade and musicians Aragorn & Olivia. Almost 

$24,000 was raised for the Manhattan Beach Firefighters 

Association Burn Foundation, according to Neptunian vice president 

of fundraising Suzanne Sharer. For more information 

about the philanthropic group visit Neptunians.org. 

1 

2 

9 

10 

Shopping, dining and entertainment, we’ve got it all! 

APPAREL & ACCESSORIES 

Friar Tux Shop . . . . . . . . . . (310) 534-4700 

Styles of Hawaii . . . . . . . . . (310) 326-2151 

Tilly’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 534-1642 

BEAUTY 

European Wax Center . . . . (310) 325-2929 

Fancy Nails . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 326-7980 

Pia Hair Salon . . . . . . . . . . (310) 326-0815 

Rolling Hills Beauty Bar. . . (310) 530-3844 

Strands Design Lab, LLC . . (310) 539-8434 

Victor Anthony’s 

Hair Studio. . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 326-2338 

Vogue Beauty Studio . . . . . (310) 530-5900 

Waterside Beauty. . . . . . . . (310) 534-4242 

BOOKS/CARDS/GIFTS/ 

EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS 

The Gift Korner . . . . . . . . . (310) 539-5011 

The Tutoring Center . . . . . . (310) 530-5377 

INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES 

Budding Artists. . . . . . . . . . . (310) 326-9764 

Color Me Mine . . . . . . . . . . (310) 325-9968 

JEWELRY 

Modern Jewelry Mart. . . . . . (310) 517-0308 

MEDICAL/DENTAL SERVICES 

Dr. Mylena Jl, D.D.S, Inc. . . (310) 326-4691 

Dr. M.G. Monzon, D.D.S. . . (310) 891-3303 

Dr. Nolan Ng, Optometrist . (310) 326-2881 

Olive Chiropractic. . . . . . . . (310) 539-2285 

South Bay Pain Docs . . . . . . (310) 626-8037 

Torrance Family Urgent 

Care Center of South Bay . . (310) 997-1796 

1. Nick’s Corey Klass. 

2. Mayor Mark Burton and Sandra and Kyle King. 

3. Love & Salt’s Stephane Negarrec. 

4. Standard Station’s Ethan Draper (center) and Eryn 

and Ashley Richmond. 

5. Charlie Cracknell, 2, in his firefighter turnout-gear 

and grandma Maria. 

6. Manny Serrano of sponsor Plaza Bank, Sylvia 

Gayed, Mayor Mark Burton, Joanne Galin and 

Becky Stuart. 

7. Doma owner Angie Corente with chef Kristina 

Miksyte and Kristina’s mom Natalie Miksiene. 

8. The Shade’s Edgar Reyes. 

9. MB Post’s chef David LeFevre with Evelyn 

Cazares and chef Robert Lee. 

10. OB’s Steve Delk with son Andrew and wife 

Trish. 

11. Simmzy’s Derin Walsh and chef Mike Rubino. 

12. 2014 Chili Cookoff champs John Atkinson and 

dad John. 

13. Sausal’s Lea Koch and Anne Conness. 

14. Judges Mary Sue Brubaker, JoAnn Shaw and 

Jan Flemming. 

3 4 

5 

6 

11 12 

DRY CLEANING 

Beltone Cleaners . . . . . . . . (310) 325-2511 

ENTERTAINMENT 

AMC Theater 

Rolling Hills 20 . . . . . . . . . (888) 262-4386 

FINANCIAL/BUSINESS SERVICES 

Chase Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 257-1997 

The Postal Mart . . . . . . . . . (310) 325-6777 

South Bay Credit Union. . . (310) 374-3436 

GROCERY/SPECIALTY FOODS 

Baskin Robbins . . . . . . . . . (310) 530-6812 

BevMo! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 257-0034 

Cups’s Frozen Yogurt . . . . . (310) 534-2625 

Nijiya Japanese Market . . . (310) 534-3000 

Omaha Steaks . . . . . . . . . . (310) 539-3831 

Peet’s Coffee & Tea. . . . . . . (310) 626-8008 

Starbucks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 534-4835 

Trader Joe’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 326-9520 

Treat Tea & Ice . . . . . . . . . . (310) 326 9888 

Whole Foods Market . . . . . (310) 257-8700 

Yogurt Lounge . . . . . . . . . . (310) 230-5505 

HEALTH & FITNESS 

Arthur Murray 

Dance Studio. . . . . . . . . . . (310) 977-0987 

Great Earth Vitamins . . . . . (310) 534-8494 

My Fit Foods . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 257-9175 

PV Massage . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 530-9093 

24 Hour Fitness Center . . . (310) 534-5100 

Weight Watchers . . . . . . . . (800) 651-6000 

HOME FURNISHINGS 

Bed, Bath & Beyond . . . . . (310) 325-0432 

Hitachiya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 534-3136 

PET & GROOMING 

Grooming Wonders. . . . . . . (310) 534-1130 

Pet’s Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 539-5700 

Wild Birds Unlimited . . . . . (310) 326-2473 

REAL ESTATE 

J A Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 539-2430 

Person Realty. . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 325-8700 

RESTAURANTS 

Blaze Pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 325-9500 

California Pizza Kitchen . . . (310) 539-5410 

Daphne’s Greek Café . . . . . (310) 257-1861 

Fanoos Persian Restaurant . . (310) 530-4316 

Fish Bonz Grill. . . . . . . . . . . (310) 325-2669 

Hakata Yamaya . . . . . . . . . . (310) 257-1800 

IcCho Japanese Restaurant . (310) 325-7273 

Ichimi An . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 784-0551 

Islands Restaurant . . . . . . . . (310) 530-5383 

Joey’s Smokin’ B.B.Q. . . . . . (310) 257-1324 

Kabab Curry of India . . . . . . (310) 539-0171 

Little Sheep 

Mongolian Hot Pot . . . . . . . (310) 517-9605 

Mashawi Lebanese Grill . . . (310) 325-3545 

Mrs. A Vietnamese Pho . . . . (310) 541-1227 

Nice Cafe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 539-0323 

Rubio’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 891-1811 

Ryo Zan Paku. . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 530-8720 

Sushi Boy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 534-4013 

Veggie Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . (310) 325-6689 

7 8 

13 14 

Northeast Corner of Crenshaw & Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance 

For Information Call (310) 534-0411 

A LA CAZE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY PROJECT 

10 Easy Reader / Beach magazine • February 11, 2016 


The 

cot age 

be ow 

l 

Except for the steel column, the cottage’s 

original entry and dining areas are unchanged. 

Mila Mendoza 

embraces her 

new old house. 

The translucent acrylic panel admits bountiful light while protecting privacy. 

When architect Michael Lee first laid eyes on Ivo Skorin and Paula 

Mendoza’s beach cottage at 132 El Porto Street in Manhattan 

Beach, he thought, “This is a beautiful little old house and I don’t 

want to wreck it.” 

The couple had asked Lee over for suggestions on a renovation that 

would substantially increase the living space for them and their little 

daughter Mila. But how to do it? For Lee, 57, who grew up in a similar 

house a few blocks away, a tear-down was unthinkable. 

The place had many charms: the stone-and-shingle exterior, the gentle 

slope of the roof, the garage doors with their original seahorse carvings, 

the secluded courtyard; inside, the rustic exposed beams and rafters, the 

old fir-wood flooring, the tiled bathroom. 

Lee told the owners, “Let’s try to have as light a hand as possible and 

leave all this cool stuff with as small an intervention as we can.” They readily 

agreed. 

But how could he expand this tiny, 958-square-foot building on a 1,530- 

square-foot half lot without doing major damage to its identity? 

“In the first 10 minutes I was there, the idea came,” says Lee: “Four legs.” 

What Lee saw in his mind’s eye was four steel columns bearing the entire 

weight of a new second story. In effect, though not in appearance, it would 

be an entirely separate building. Structural modifications to the cottage 

would be unnecessary. Not even its roof would have to be removed. Two 

of the columns would go right through the roof and floor of the cottage. 

The other two would stand outside, over the existing courtyard. The addition 

would increase the living space by two-thirds. 

Skorin and Mendoza were enthusiastic about the design and construction 

by John Dwyer and the Dave Baldwin Co. was amazingly short, less than 

six months. The family moved back in in early 2012. 

In this renovation, Lee had achieved his goal of preserving the old house 

virtually intact. 

“As you can see in these photos of the living room and dining area,” says 

Lee, “all of the old roof is still there — you can see the old rafters.” 

The steel columns, exposed and unpainted, come unobtrusively down 

along the cottage wall. “They fit nicely with the old windows,” Lee re- 

Photos by Ken Pagliaro (KenPagliaro.com) 

marks, “none of which had to be removed to accommodate them.” 

Inside the old cottage, the only major change was removing one of the two 

bathrooms to expand the kitchen area. The original fir floors remain, including 

the patching done to them over the years. “That’s part of the atmosphere,” 

Lee says. The tiled bathroom retains the period look. 

The exterior was also preserved. Most of the shingles on the walls are original. 

Seahorses continue to cavort on the garage door and the tiny window 

on the old level above the garage — thought by some to be incongruous — 

still draws the viewer’s eye. 

Lee drew inspiration for the addition from his visits to Europe, where, he 

mentions, “you see these beautiful glass-and-steel structures sitting on top of 

ancient stone ruins.” 

The sleek lines and surface of the addition stylize the rumpled boxiness of 

the cottage and complement the original second story. 

For Lee, maximizing sunlight was essential. “The light coming through the 

old house was beautiful,” he recalls. “The windows had a gorgeous morning 

light.” The huge translucent acrylic panel in the front of the new addition 

brings abundant, mellow light inside while protecting privacy and the two 

small windows below it gently imitate the three clerestory windows of the 

cottage beneath. 

The addition was built right up to the city’s height limit, allowing for two 

levels inside. The master bedroom loft overlooks a spacious family room and 

a picture window looking over the old second story (which contains a second 

bedroom and a bath) affords a magnificent view of the ocean. All the furnishings 

in the upper story are modern. 

“I believe we have achieved what we saw for this house from the start,” 

Lee remarks. “It’s a beautiful dialogue between old and new.” 

The owners are equally pleased. “We love the design,” says Paula Mendoza. 

“We wanted to keep the feeling of our old house,” which they’ve owned since 

2009, “and we love the contrast with the upstairs, which is so entirely different 

— modern, more open, tall ceilings, full of light — and especially the 

ocean view.” 

Their daughter Mila, now five, is also enthusiastic. “She’s very attached to 

her new old house,” says her mom. B 

The steel stairway and 

nearby steel column signal 

a transition to the 

contemporary upstairs. 


A 

long time member of the South Bay, the full-service law firm Baker, 

Burton & Lundy P.C. is proudly celebrating their 40th anniversary 

this coming May. The entire firm believes it is a tremendous honor 

to have continuously served the legal needs of the South Bay for so long. 

In November of 1980, founding partners Brad N. Baker and Kent Burton 

purchased the building on 515 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach. With two 

expansions, the firm has continually grown to meet the needs of the 

community. 

Commitment to the South Bay 

The members of the Baker, Burton & Lundy law firm are involved in the 

South Bay beyond their legal work through coaching, volunteering and 

serving on boards of charitable organizations. Veteran estate planning 

attorney Brad Baker serves as the Vice Chair of H.E.L.P. (Healthcare and 

Elder Law Programs Corporation) that provides legal guidance to the 

ever-growing senior community in our area. 

Meeting the Needs of South Bay’s Growing Elderly Community 

Baker, Burton & Lundy 

South Bay Locals Celebrating 40 Years 

BB&L has also added a new attorney, Christine Daniels, to work with 

Brad in meeting the needs of people creating estate plans for their future 

and protecting the rights of the elderly. Raised in the South Bay, 

Christine is a fluent Spanish speaker and understands the value of creating 

individualized estate plans for her clients. BB&L places great importance 

on the interviewing and drafting process to make sure plans 

will meet each client’s unique needs. With the firm’s experience in litigating 

will and trust contests as well as trust and estate mismanagement 

cases, they focus on designing documents that effectively minimize the 

risk of future litigation. 

Business and Litigation Powerhouse 

Partner Kent Burton leads the business and real estate arm of the firm. 

With associate Clint Wilson and Teresa Klinkner, of counsel, they are well 

known for their transactional expertise and have clients ranging from individuals 

and small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations. Kent has also 

assisted several South Bay non-profits with their 501(c)(3) incorporation 

documents and served on the board of the Didi Hirsch Mental Health 

Center for over a decade. 

The firm has built a reputation far beyond the South Bay as fierce litigators. 

In addition to recovering over $4 Billion for California energy 

consumers, it won a recent decision before the California Supreme 

Court that has reduced litigation. BB&L’s trial and personal injury practice 

is headed by Albro Lundy III, Trial Lawyer of the Year for Consumer 

Attorneys of California, and Evan Koch, named a Rising Star by Super- 

Lawyers two years in a row. Lundy and Koch collaborate with Baker and 

Daniels in the firm’s Probate Litigation practice combining probate and 

estate expertise with accomplished trial skills. 

BAKER, BURTON & LUNDY | 515 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach | (310) 376-9893 | www.bakerburtonlundy.com 

SPONSORED CONTENT 


Rombro & Associates 

Human touch on the scales of justice. 

Attorney Roger Rombro holds the 

highest possible rating from the 

pier-reviewed Martindale- 

Hubbell Law Directory for a 40-year 

practice, which now focuses principally 

upon family law. 

Along the way, he retained a human 

touch that makes him the best lawyer 

he can be. 

“Spouses tend to be hurt in the initial 

stages of their separation. They tend to 

feel that they have failed, irrespective 

of whether they’re the spouse that initiates 

the separation. Each spouse has 

a huge sense of disappointment with 

their partner which slowly evolves into 

resentment and anger. 

Not surprisingly, each of them goes 

through a morning period recognizing 

that they have suffered a death in 

their family,”he said. 

“And there can be lots of reactive 

things going on. One side does something, 

to which the 

other side wants to react,” Rombro 

said. 

“Part of my job is to help people to understand 

their own feelings. I become 

both their advocate and their counselor. 

The counselor part of me wants 

to help them to see that they are 

going in a direction that is not in their 

best interest,”he said. 

“To a large extent, the lawyer must 

often do what a therapist would be 

doing,”Rombro said. 

“I try to keep the conflicts down as 

much as possible. Otherwise, people 

tend to spend huge amounts of 

money, draining themselves both financially 

and emotionally; and this is 

particularly true in custody disputes 

where people become so angry, that 

they fail to realize that they are hurting 

their children, rather than just their 

spouse,”he said. 

Rombro is certified by the State Bar as 

a specialist in family law, and he has 

recently been 

appointed to the State Bar Family Law 

Executive Committee. 

Before he went into civil practice, he 

served in the Los Angeles County District 

Attorney’s office, prosecuting 

everything from DUI to homicide in 

thousands of cases before state and 

federal courts. 

“I think our criminal justice system is the 

fairest in the history of mankind,” he 

said. “We go out of our way to protect 

the rights of the accused, and we also 

try prevent the suffering of victims, and 

to protect society.” 

Rombro and wife Joanna have three 

children and two grandchildren. 


ROMBRO & ASSOCIATES |3405 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach | (310) 545-1900 | rombrolaw.com 


N 

Nigel Villanueva 

Excellence in Defense 

igel Villanueva’s extensive legal experience – more than 50 jury trials 

and arbitration hearings – ranges from violent crimes, sex crimes, domestic 

violence, drugs and DUI to wide varieties of 

misdemeanors. He helps to expunge clients’ criminal records, and guide them 

through the thickets of DMV hearings, temporary and permanent restraining 

orders and school hearings. 

“I have a great belief in criminal defense, not just what it stands for with my 

clients, but what it stands for our republic as a whole,” the 

former public prosecutor said. 

Villanueva’s skills were on demonstrated recently during an eight-day domestic 

violence jury trial. 

“Those cases are vigorously prosecuted. In our society we are not standing 

for domestic violence, so when we can show to a jury or judge that our client 

is not involved in domestic violence, that is really 

rewarding,” Villanueva said. 

“The jury acquitted our client in under an hour,” Villanueva said. 

“Our client regained his full employment. His children had been removed 

from him. But for him being exonerated, he would not have his children and 

he would not be employed,” Villanueva said. 

“People place their life in your hands. He could have lost his children, lost 

his job, been stigmatized in the community, maybe forever, and his children 

would have believed their father was a wife beater. This was a man with no 

criminal record,” Villanueva said. 

“You simply have to love what you do. I love being in court, I love arguing 

cases before juries,” he said. 

Villanueva has represented a National Basketball Association team owner, 

in a case that did not result in charges. He has represented pro basketball 

and baseball players in 

“various Misdemeanor” 

offenses. 

But the year Villanueva 

spent in the Fresno 

County Public Defender’s 

Office, conducting 12 trial 

defenses and handling 

cases from trespass to 

manslaughter, taught him 

early on that each client 

m u s t r e c e i v e h i s f u l l 

attention. 

“Representing a 

wealthy NBA owner is somewhat glamorous. But at the other end of the spectrum, 

meeting a child who is locked up in 

juvenile detention, a 14- or 15-year-old, who is physically separated from his 

parents, that has been a far greater experience for me,” Villanueva said. “Reassuring 

that child that this is not the end of the world, that they will see their 

parents again, that is very rewarding.” 

Villanueva and his wife Zara, a fellow South Torrance High School alumnus, 

live in Redondo Beach with their son Nathan and daughter Sophia. When not 

arguing in front of a judge or jury, Villanueva enjoys trail running, coaching 

AYSO soccer and playing chess. 

Law Office of Nigel Villanueva, 220 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 106, Redondo 

Beach. nigelvlaw@gmail.com, cell 310-686-6524, 

office 310-318-0018, fax 310-318-0005. 


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A 

different 

world 

True progress in spearfishing comes 

when you are able to get past the 

physical and mental barriers 

by Ryan McDonald 

Photos by Paul Batcheller 

Teddy Stavropoulous had lain in wait. He had stretched his lungs and bided his time. 

The 13-year-old Manhattan Beach resident was learning the ropes of freediving and 

spearfishing. A reward for his patience arrived in the form of a sheephead, a carnivorous 

fish native to California that can live up to 20 years. Stavropoulous speared the 

fish and made it to the surface. Pleased with himself, he thought the hard part was over. 

Stavropoulous hadn’t counted on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

“We got a nice talking-to from the game warden,” he said. “I found out that sheephead 

have to be 12 inches, and this one was like 11. Luckily he didn’t give me a ticket.” 

It’s all part of the learning process for Billy Atkinson, Tanner Batcheller, Hudson Fredericksz, 

Alex Iantuano, Sam Roskin, Luke Snyder, and Stavropoulous, a crew of friends 

from Manhattan Beach Middle School who scour South Bay waters in search of the exotic 

and the tasty. 

Ocean-minded 

The ocean was already a second home for the surf-obsessed teens. All are members of 

the MBMS surf team and compete in the South Bay Boardriders contests. 

“During the summertime, we go to the beach all day,” Roskin said. 

But even the most stalwart ocean-goers can occasionally become numbed to its charm. 

Until, that is, something forces them to reconsider all the gifts the sea provides. 

“It’s just right there, but if you go away from it you get so sad,” Atkinson said. “You don’t 

realize how nice it is to have the beach nearby, and you kind of realize how lucky you 

are.” 

Batcheller was the first of the group to channel the nervous energy of a teenager underwater, 

exploring the waters off Maui while on vacation two summers ago. The trip was 

not necessarily the best preparation for diving in the cold, murky waters off California. 

Hawaii also has fewer limits on what freedivers can catch. 

“Tanner spent a week in Maui with a cheap mask, fins, and a spear,” said his father Paul 

Batcheller. “He found out pretty quickly that Hawaii is a very cool place to fish.” 

Returning to Southern California, Batcheller was excited to try out his new hobby in his 

old stomping grounds and tried to convert some of his friends. 

The extent of their collective experience came from line fishing in lakes. They tried 

doing the same from beach, with mixed results. 

“It never really worked out. All we learned was, don’t get the orange one, because it’s 

the state fish,” Roskin said of Garibaldi. 

The boys were going to need help. Batcheller’s father had some experience in ocean 

fishing, but it wasn’t the right kind. 

“I’ve been lobster diving before,” Paul said. “But spearfishing, that’s all new to me.” 

Luke Snyder at the Redondo Breakwater. 


Alex Iantuano admires his freshly speared catch. 

your breath, slow down your heartbeat. When you are calm, then you can 

start hunting.” 

The boys’ weapon of choice is a tension-loaded speargun, which relies 

on rubber tubing to fire a spear, with a line for retrieval. It resembles a 

crossbow and requires a lot of force to prepare. 

“Loading these things is not easy, even for me,” Paul said. 

The kids began diving in their surf wetsuits. That Kwak said, is a common 

mistake. 

“It’s not good enough,” Kwak said, noting that surf wetsuits are not designed 

for prolonged submersion and that water can easily seep into them. 

“If you lose 10 percent of your body heat, that’s serious hypothermia.” 

Taste of something new 

As the boys got better at spearfishing, they began to learn more about the 

underwater world they encountered. 

“I honestly didn’t know anything when I started,” Snyder said. “There 

are different kinds of fish, different kinds of seaweed, different kinds of 

conditions to think about.” 

Diving has also made the kids more aware of environmental issues. Trash 

and debris in the ocean become especially grating, they say, when encountered 

while coming up for air. And following the encounter with the game 

warden, the kids are starting to see the wisdom in regulations governing 

catch-sizes. 

“Under 10 inches, you’re going to want to let it go,” Roskin said. “It’s not 

worth shooting those. You can barely get any meat off of them.” 

As their skills developed, each plunge became less of a struggle and they 

became more selective in their kills. They can identify a wide range of fish 

on sight and know which ones taste best. 

“At first, you want to catch anything that moves,” said Stavropoulous. “But 

eventually, you narrow it down to the fish you like to eat.” 

The crew’s catches have included white sea bass, ling cod and wahoo. 

They have gotten to the point where not just taste, but the difficulty in capturing 

a fish motivates their hunt. 

Some fish, like calico, are known for their craftiness. Others not so much. 

“Rockfish are good eating, but they’re kind of stupid,” Batcheller said. 

In a rare moment of agreement for middle-schoolers, all thought yellowtail 

represented the pinnacle. 

“We’ve got a little card from Dive N’ Surf with all different kinds of fish,” 

Atkinson said. “Yellowtail, that’s the Holy Grail.” 

A lifestyle not a sport 

Getting involved in spearfishing has been relatively frictionless for the 

crew of friends. They don’t even need to apply for a state fishing license 

until they turn 16. And it has begun to shape the part of their lives without 

a spear in hand. 

During school, the kids will hold their breath and look at the classroom 

clock, seeing how long they can last. 

“You get better at holding your breath,” Roskin said. “And it helps with 

surfing, because you get more comfortable with holddowns.” 

Hawaii, Mexico and exotic coral reefs beckon. There is also the challenge 

of spearing fish that have eluded them so far. 

“I shot at a pack of barracudas once,” Batcheller said. “I barely missed, 

but they’re hard to hit.” 

Spearfishing and freediving have become more popular in the South Bay 

in recent years, Kwak said. Although the Internet has made equipment 

widely available, people still come by his store for advice that can only 

come from a lifetime of dedication. 

Kwak thinks of spearfishing as more of a lifestyle than a sport. He has 

arranged his life in such a way that he can frequently close up shop and 

head out to Palos Verdes to dive. 

“It’s a very small community,” he said. “It might be growing, but it’s still 

not a very good business.” 

In that sense, Kwak may have taught the kids more than he realized. The 

true draw of spearfishing, both said, is the sense of escape from the ordinary. 

“You don’t have to worry about school or anything,” Snyder said. “It’s just 

being in a different environment, a different world.” B 

The master 

Harry Kwak is the manager of Freedive and 

Spear on Aviation Boulevard in Hermosa Beach. 

He hails from a South Korean island, where custom 

dictates that women are the ones who dive. 

Kwak fell in love with spearfishing, anyway. He 

learned the sport from his brother, and began diving 

for Opal Eye and black perch when he was 

the same age as the MBMS kids who came to him 

for instruction. 

But Kwak was reluctant to take on the young 

students when their parents brought them in his 

shop. 

“It’s a killing sport. You are carrying a killing 

machine,” Kwak said. “If the kids aren’t fully 

grown, I will turn them away. You have to be mature 

enough to kill something.” 

The eager youth were initially turned off by 

Kwak’s demeanor. 

“The kids called him ‘Grumpy,’” Paul said. 

“He’s just very passionate about spearfishing, and 

he wants everyone to take it seriously.” 

Kwak said he is more likely to take on kids with 

ocean-going backgrounds and that surfing is good 

preparation. But his reluctance to take just anyone 

out diving goes beyond concern about physical 

ability. 

Kicking strength and lung stamina are essential 

to becoming a competent free diver. But it also requires 

the maturity to be aware of everything occurring 

down below. Impulsive behavior 

common in teenagers, Kwak said, can make them 

unable to assess the difficulty of what they’re 

doing. 

Tanner Batcheller displays fresh-caught Half Moons 

and Opal Eye. 

“You can get tangled in kelp in deep water and 

you can get in very deep trouble,” he said. “You’re 

more interested in getting a fish, and your ego ignores 

common-sense safety.” 

But Kwak eventually relented to the kids’ requests 

for guidance. 

The waiting game 

The boys began with dives near the Redondo 

Breakwall before heading out to the deeper waters 

off Palos Verdes. 

Acclimating to deep water is a critical part of 

spearfishing, Kwak said. 

“If you’re inexperienced and you go out diving 

with me, you’re going to throw up,” he said. 

Kwak’s message of patience and gradual 

progress was tough to take at first, but the kids 

gradually came to recognize the wisdom he offered. 

“He’s a zen-master,” Atkinson said. “You’ll go 

into his shop and he’ll tell you something like, 

‘Nature is the greatest teacher.’” 

The crew also took lessons from Al Schneppershoff, 

a professional diver at Dive N’ Surf in Redondo 

Beach. Schneppershoff’s father was killed 

years ago by a great white shark during a dive off 

Baja. 

True progress in spearfishing comes when you 

are able to get past the physical and mental barriers, 

Kwak said. Only then are you able to think 

strategically, as you would while hunting on land, 

using rocks and kelp to hide yourself from your 

prey. 

“You have to be in a calm state,” he said. “Hold 

The crew emerges from the deep onto the Bear Flag, owned by Jamie Meistrell of Dive N’ Surf. 


each people 

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Brings Together Local Leaders 

T 

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honored leaders in the Hermosa Beach community on 

Saturday, November 7th at The Standing Room. With 

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huge success! 

1 

2 

PHOTOS BY ADRIENNE SLAUGHTER 

1. Waitress Jenna Baran, Rob Devers, Leadership Hermosa 

Alumni Julia Ann Roberts and Laily Navab. 

2. Ann and Trent Larson, City Councilman Jeff Duclos, 

Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO Kim Mac- 

Mullan and Patrick Mejia. 

3. Mick and Cheryl Gaheen, Jason Rice and Kathy Evans 

enjoy the hospitality! 

4. LH Board members Adam Wald, Event Chair Laura 

Misel, Kerri Krusinski, Andrea Giancoli and Jack Levy. 

5. Hermosa Beach Kiwanis Club members Don and Deborah 

DeMaderios, Ann and Cedric "Mickey" McRae, 

Leslie and Howie Seeb 

6. Melinda Curtis entertains Rick Learned and Siva 

Zhang. 

7. Eric Riley with son Max, winner of Emerging Youth 

Leader Award, and friends Jackson Baker, Michael Hendrex 

and Josh Hendrex. 

8. Active Hermosa Beach residents Bob Jones and Ken 

Hartley 

9. 66th District California Assemblyman David Hadley 

congratulates the three Emerging Leader Award recipients: 

Local Business: Saint Rocke, Youth: Max Riley and Adult: 

Stacey Armato. 

10. LH's Andrea Giancoli and Dorothy Forba present 

Local Business Award to Saint Rocke's Katie Henley and 

Josh Paul, with Laura Misel, Mayor Carolyn Petty and Assemblyman 

Hadley. 

11. LH's Laura Misel and Andrea Giancoli present the 

Adult award to Stacey Armato, next to 2014 recipient Lori 

Ford, Mayor Petty, Assemblyman Hadley and Lauren 

Mains, Consultant to Senator Allen. 

3 4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 10 11 


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“Fight like a Girl,” by Karen Yee. 

“Wish Fulfilled,” by Karen Yee. 

drops 

Until the shoe 

Karen Yee has documented her struggles with cancer 

through self portraits 

by Bondo Wyszpolski 

Karen Yee has been on Death Row for 13 years. The executioner 

is always on-call, and lingers close by. You could 

say, in fact, that’s he’s gotten under her skin. Under her 

skin, and in her very bones. 

“In 2003, I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer,” 

Yee says, “which is a pretty rare, aggressive type of cancer. I 

went through two years of treatment, very arduous, chemo, then 

surgery, then chemo again, and radiation, then reconstructive 

surgeries. I’ve been through the ringer.” 

Living dangerously 

The El Segundo resident had always been “artsy.” She liked to 

draw and make things and had toyed with the idea of trying to 

paint in oil. What actually pushed her into doing so was her sudden 

brush with mortality. It was, she felt, now or never. 

“When I started painting I found it was tremendous therapy,” 

Yee says. “I would sit at the kitchen table using a tabletop easel 

and when my daughters would come home from school I’d have 

to move everything so they could do their homework. That went 

on for a few years. Then I took over a structure in the backyard 

as my studio. I found that when I was in my studio and when I 

was painting it was really the only time that I was living in the 

moment. I wasn’t thinking about if I was hungry or if there were 

bills I had to pay. It was the only time I just didn’t think about 

anything else but what I was doing.” 

Yee didn’t let up on her painting once she felt better, but she 

began to wonder if oil was the medium best suited to her subject 

matter. 

“I like to paint traditionally and realistically,” she says, “and I 

found that I could do that better with acrylics. That’s what I 

paint with now. And as soon as I just accepted the fact that this 

is my style, I kind of found my voice and I got a lot more recognition 

and more compliments on my work.” 

The amount of painting that Yee manages to accomplish has 

depended on her fluctuating health and energy. 

“This past year my cancer has been active,” she says. “A year 

ago October I started chemo and I was on chemo for a year and 

this is like the third or fourth time that I had to do chemo because 

my cancer would become active again. So, from October 

2014 to 2015 I was on one chemo after another and I wasn’t responding 

to anything. It just kept progressing and progressing. 

“In October 2015, my doctor told me, ‘This is it. You need to 

get your things in order. Your liver is more than 50 percent affected.’” 

She explains: “It started in my breast, and then spread 

to my bones, my liver and my lungs. So that’s what I’m fighting 

now.” 

It was back to more chemotherapy, in which Yee’s doctor didn’t 

place a great deal of faith, but he did think it would buy his 

patient more time. 

“So I tried it,” Yee continues, “and I responded. My tumor 

markers started coming down.” However, “the chemo really 

knocked me for a loop. It was really strong chemo and I had no 

energy, so for this past year I’ve pulled back. I’ve pulled all my paintings 

out of shows and tried to get them all back because I didn’t know 

what was happening, and I haven’t had a lot of will or energy to paint. 

I am working on a few pieces, but it’s not like I used to.” 

Mirror, mirror, on the wall... 

When we see Yee’s paintings of herself we realize that pictures are 

indeed worth a thousand words. 

“The self-portraits that I did about my experience living with cancer 

was definitely therapy as well and definitely a voice that I needed to 

express for my own benefit. The first of them was a nude torso because 

I think I was just so freaked out about my scarred body and what it 

had been through. I felt like an empty shell, Frankenstein, with all these 

scars. It was kind of coming to terms with who I was, but I was still 

embarrassed about it so I didn’t include my face, just my torso. 

“In 2009, the cancer came back to my bones,” Yee says, and at the 

time she didn’t want to go through chemo again. “It was a horrible experience. 

My doctor knew that, but he also knew that I had to do it. 

‘I’m really sorry, but you have to go back to chemo.’ I was like, whatever, 

let’s kick this sucker to the curb. I don’t care, I’ll do whatever’s 

necessary. So, I wanted to do a self-portrait that portrayed that resolve 

and determination, which is why I painted myself in the armor with 

wings, like I was a fighter. My doctor loves (that work) so much he has 

a copy of it in his office. 

“Every few years I would do another (self-portrait),” Yee says, “depending 

on where I was at. I was talking with other metastatic breast 

cancer patients about what it’s like to live with cancer, and I said it’s 

like living under the sword of Damocles. I have a very good life, I love 

my husband, I love my children, we travel, we do things, but always, 

always, the cancer is hanging over my head, and I know that one day 

the dagger’s going to fall. So that was the reason for that painting.” 

Regarding her latest self-portrait (“The Waiting Game”), Yee says, “my 

husband didn’t want me to do it because he thought it was too dark, 

but I think it’s actually more hopeful than it looks. I’m behind bars, 

like I’m on Death Row, because I felt like 12-1/2 years ago I was given 

a death sentence. You know, when you have cancer it’s like getting a 

death sentence. But people live for years on Death Row, so you learn 

to live with it, kind of. You have this thing hanging over your head, but 

what’re you going to do? You’ve got to keep on living, right? You got to 

keep going. 

“So I painted my infusion line,” Yee continues, “and instead of going 

to the bag of chemo it ended up going to a telephone like it was a line 

to the governor’s. Because I feel like every time I have chemo it’s like 

a reprieve or a stay of execution. Also, I’m holding a shoe like I’m waiting 

for the shoe to drop, because I know eventually my time’s going to 

be up when I exhaust all my appeals.” 

And when the time comes... 

Having a life-threatening health condition makes one appreciate the 

time that remains, except of course when the pain is unbearable. 

“It has taught me to do the things I want to do now,” Yee says. “I had 

always wanted to go to Europe, so I went. I was like, Okay, I’m going. 

That’s it, I’m not waiting.” As with her desire to make art, her disease 

motivated her not to put things off. 

Some people, however, prefer to keep their medical condition to 

themselves, or to share it only within the family. 

“I understand,” Yee says. “A lot of people don’t like to talk about it. I 

know from this support group I was in there were a lot of women who 

said they never told their co-workers. They didn’t want anyone to know. 

I’m much more of an open book. To me, it’s almost like a secret is a 

burden. It helps me just to talk to people about it, to let people know 

what’s going on with me.” She laughs. “I don’t know if I’m burdening 

people with my troubles, but…” 

How did Yee find out that she had breast cancer? 

“I was 43,” she replies (she’s 56 now), “and I had not had a mammogram. 

You’re supposed to start when you’re 40, and I just noticed that 

something was wrong with my breast. I asked my husband, Does this 

one look different than that one? and he’s like, No, no, but I knew. So 

I looked in the phonebook, and I lucked into one of the best oncologists 

in the business. Inflammatory breast cancer has been misdiagnosed by 

“Penelope’s Robe,” by Karen Yee. 

Karen Yee. Photo by Bondo Wyszpolski

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done, I want to stop -- and my husband and my doctor encourage me to 

keep going. So, I know I’m not in this alone. When it’s time, it’s time. It’s 

not going to be in my hands.” 

Wanting to be there for her daughters is also what motivates Yee when 

the pain seems overbearing. The girls were nine and six when she was first 

diagnosed, and now they’re 22 and 20. Undoubtedly it’s had a tremendous 

effect on their lives growing up. “I always try and keep the girls in the loop 

and tell them what’s going on with me,” Yee says, “just so they know and 

they’re prepared.” 

Down, but not out 

In the past, Karen Yee was involved with various local art groups, the 

Torrance Artists Guild and the El Segundo Art Association, for instance, 

participated in the “Power of Art” shows and volunteered at ESMoA. But 

because she’s often on heavy medication she doesn’t drive or else stays 

close to home. “It’s hard for me,” she confesses. “I get depressed, I get 

lonely, I get weepy. 

“I know a lot of it is psychological,” she continues. “When my doctor 

told me last October, Get your things in order, I sat down and I said, Okay, 

I got my things in order, Now what? I was kind of waiting. And that’s also 

why my latest self-portrait is called ‘The Waiting Game.’” 

For the moment, because Yee’s body has responded positively to the recent 

round of chemotherapy, she has received her reprieve, her stay of execution. 

The shoe will probably not drop anytime soon. “So I’m trying to 

rally, I’m trying to have hope,” she says, and it’s true, we’ve all heard cases 

of people surpassing their projected life expectancies. 

“When I first got my diagnosis,” Yee says, “I think my odds were 50-50. 

I wasn’t even sure I was going to live past that first year. When my second 

daughter graduated from high school my doctor asked me, How did the 

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each food 

Every once in awhile a business opens that shapes 

a neighborhood. It’s often a cultural institution, 

a theater or cabaret that creates a space for a previously 

invisible arts scene, but sometimes it’s a restaurant, 

bar, or coffeehouse. These have an impact not 

only because of the traffic they bring to neighboring 

businesses, but for the sense of vitality and creativity 

they bring to the area. In the best of circumstances, an 

area that was previously anonymous suddenly starts to 

feel like a neighborhood. 

Not all eateries are created equal when it comes to 

creating this sense of community. Consider the stretch 

of 190th Street where a downscale coffee shop called 

Billy’s Deli anchored the west end of a shopping mall. 

It had been there for decades, but if you mentioned the 

name to most South Bay residents they’d be hard 

pressed to say where it was. It was well back from the 

street, and the food was so dull, the environment so 

characterless, that it was easy to forget even if you had 

been there. 

The building is still right where it used to be, but 

Brewpub and restaurant 

Hop Saint 

takes both food and beer 

seriously and succeeds, 

magnificently 

among them. The sprout and parsnip mix is particularly 

good, the sweet root vegetable with 

chunks of apple a nice contrast to the cabbage-y 

sprouts. There are small chunks of homemade 

flavor to enhance the smoky infusion from the 

oven, but vegetarians could probably enjoy the 

dish without them. 

When it comes to entrees, don’t make any 

choices until you hear what is coming off the 

smoker that day. Or what came off yesterday, 

since in one case that was duck, which was put 

into a smoke-scented, intense gumbo the next 

morning. I was lucky enough to have a taste of 

this and the mix of duck and mushrooms in 

thick, gently spicy broth was fantastic. They always 

offer a chicken and sausage gumbo and I 

fully intend to try that soon. 

But I was talking about the smoker before I was 

distracted by gumbo. On two visits they offered 

ribs made with a traditional dry rub and finished 

with a caramelized fennel sauce. I had never had 

anything quite like them. The flavor is exotic and 

has a suggestion of Asia, sweet and a little spicy. 

Pulled pork from that smoker had a delicious 

crisped crust and I have also seen brisket but not 

been allowed to order it. I was told it was going 

into the next day’s chili. 

Another particularly good item at Hop Saint is 

the jambalaya, a stew of meat and seafood with 

the mix Cajuns call the holy trinity: onion, celery, 

and bell pepper. The version here uses smoked 

chicken and shrimp, and is unusual in substituting 

Anson Mills grits for the rice. The result is 

more moist and rich – the rice is usually filler 

without flavor but the heirloom 

grits add a subtle 

richness to the mix. 

I somehow have gotten 

this far through this review 

without mentioning the 

beer, which is brewed in 

big steel tanks next to the 

kitchen. The aptly named 

Brian Brewer is lord of this 

area and crafts some excellent 

beers in a wide range 

of styles. Most breweries in 

LA are IPA-crazed, but 

though there were two 

hoppy brews on this list, 

there were also a German 

pils and lager, a delightful 

British pub mild and a rich, 

full Belgian-style stout. If 

none of those float your 

boat there are also a dozen drafts from other 

breweries, a list of interesting arcane bottles, and 

a delicious cherry cider. You can also get soft 

drinks without anybody looking at you funny. 

Three desserts are offered: a dark chocolate 

chess pie, key lime pie, and the best pecan pie I 

can remember tasting. They all are less sweet and 

more flavorful than the typical restaurant dessert 

and make the finish of the meal here as much of 

a class act as the rest of the experience. 

Meals at Hop Saint are modestly priced for the 

quality. All but one of the entrees are fifteen 

bucks or less, with the lone outlier a steak dinner. 

Co-owner Christina Oliva is holding deviled eggs, autumn salad and 

smoked pork back ribs. Photos by Brad Jacobson (CivicCouch.com) 

The public reception to Hop Saint has been enthusiastic 

and the parking lot that used to be 

sparsely populated now fills with cars. A space 

that was all but derelict has turned into a hotspot, 

and who can tell what that will do for the other 

businesses in the area? It’s all due to a visionary 

restaurateur who has assembled a great team and 

is dedicated to providing superb food, drink, and 

hospitality. 

Hop Saint is at 5160 West 190th Street in Torrance. 

Opens 1 p.m., closing time varies. Parking lot, 

wheelchair access good, children OK, some vegetarian 

items. Wine, beer, and cider served. Partial menu 

at hopsaint.com, phone 310-214-4677. B 

There goes the 

neighborhood 

by Richard Foss 

Hop Saint brewmaster Brian Brewer. 

everything else has changed when it became Hop 

Saint. Owner Steve Roberts was the genius behind Café 

Boogaloo in its glory days. He took on the challenge of 

turning the neglected coffee shop into a brewpub and 

restaurant that takes both the food and beer seriously 

and he has done a magnificent job. 

The formerly bland and dim room is bright and colorful 

now, the long bar facing rows of tables with intricate 

inlay designs. It’s sleek, stylish and modern; a 

room designed for socializing. The menu is short but 

interesting and pays homage to Roberts’s Southern 

roots with items like chicken and Andouille gumbo and 

braised greens with hot sauce. These are only occasionally 

traditional in form and flavor, but the innovations 

are always for flavor, not novelty. 

Consider the grilled cornbread, for instance. The texture 

is slightly coarse rather than smooth and cakelike 

and it’s topped with chives and persimmon butter. 

Honey butter is traditional, but the persimmon has a 

more interesting, fruity sweetness that complements 

the sweetness of corn. Fruit and vegetable interplay 

shows up in the autumn salad too, where sweet grilled 

squash and pomegranate both feature along with aged 

white cheddar and lightly pickled red beans. 

Some menu items change slightly from day to day, 

depending on what ingredients the chef is experimenting 

with. On one visit, the deviled eggs that are usually 

topped with a bit of smoked pork had crisped duck 

skin instead. It was a brilliant substitution, smoky and 

fatty like bacon but paper thin and crunchy. Thanks to 

Hop Saint I have thought of all sorts of uses for things 

I had previously discarded. 

Hop Saint opened with a focus on the items from 

their wood burning oven – flatbreads, roasted mushrooms 

or brussels sprouts with parsnips and tri-tip 



Icebergs trapped in an “iceberg graveyard” resembled modern sculptures. 

Last August, I met up with some 68 photographers, videographers and artists from 21 countries 

at Longyearbyen, Svalbard, an island group belonging to Norway. Longyearbyen is a twohour 

flight north from Oslo and far above the Arctic Circle. The day after my arrival we 

headed out to sea aboard the 451-foot Russian ice reinforced ship, Polar Pioneer for a 19 day expedition 

to make a film on the flora and fauna of the High Arctic. The purpose of the movie, book 

and artwork to be produced was to increase international awareness of the beauty, fragility and 

peril of this precious international resource. 

Ocean Geographic publisher Michael Aw organized the expedition. Others on board included marine 

biologist Sylvia Earle, whose extraordinary life is recounted in the documentary “Ocean Blue;” 

Ernie Brooks, a former president of the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, which 

his father founded; National Geographic husband and wife photographers David Doubilet and 

Jennifer Hayes; 1993 BBC Documentary Filmmaker of the Year Leandro Blanco; and Australian 

underwater videographer and drone pilot Stuart Ireland, whose is known for his groundbreaking 

underwater Arctic footage. I was signed on as a principal photographer. 

Waterproof, a Swedish wetsuit manufacturer and expedition guide company, was hired to lead 

the day-to-day activities. The company provided half a dozen guides, all experts in Arctic birds, 

mammals and flora. Anyone trekkin on land or out on an ice flow was accompanied by a guide 

with a rifle as protection against polar bears. 

At the end of our first day at sea we anchored in a fjord for check-out dives. Because I didn’t 

have 20 certified polar dives under my belt I couldn’t scuba dive in the frigid waters. However, I 

was dry suit certified and cleared to snorkel. I had brought along a 0 degree celsius rated, fleece 

undergarment. Though I had heard horror stories about how cold it gets, except for one dive when 

my fingers went numb and another time when my dry suit zipper wasn’t completely sealed and 

ice water started coursing down my leg, I had no trouble with the cold water. 

We anchored off a number of incredibly large and beautiful glaciers where we saw different 

species of seals, walruses and jellies. Although it was late in the season, we saw a surprising number 

of Arctic skuas, terns, kittiwakes, glaucous gulls, fulmars and guillemots from the Zodiacs we ventured 

out in. I wouldn’t say I was surprised to see so much wildlife life but experiencing it made 

me realize how important this remote part of the world is to our world’s ecosystem. 

After several days exploring the Svalbard fjords we headed out into the Arctic Sea toward the 

North Pole. The Polar Pioneer glided effortlessly through much the ice, getting stuck and having to 

back up only once. We never tired of looking at sundrenched, brilliantly white ice while spending 

continued on page 34 

Story and photos Paul T. Isley III 

32 Easy Reader / Beach magazine • February 11, 2016 February 11, 2016 • Easy Reader / Beach magazine 33

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The Polar Pioneer was built in 1982 in Finland as an ice-strengthened research ship. 

hours on the bridge and at the bow searching for polar bears through 

binoculars. One of the Waterproof guides finally spotted one dragging a 

seal carcass, leaving behind a blood red trail. We approached to within 300 

meters of the bear and spent half an hour photographing it, before the ship 

backed away. 

Late one afternoon, we reached our northernmost approach to the North 

Pole, at 81.33 degrees latitude, about 500 miles from the actual pole. That 

sounds far but when you plot that on a globe it looks close compared to 

the nearest landmass. The special quality of the air, the positions of the 

sun, the silence punctuated by the cracking sound of the ice under the advancing 

Polar Pioneer were unlike anything I had ever previously experienced 

in my travels. 

One morning I was on the Zodiac that included Sylvia Earle, who was 

being photographed and filmed by Doubilet and Ireland and being directed 

by Hayes. Earle paddled, dove and posed along the edge of an ice flow. 

She was the epitome of grace and sweetness in and out of the water. We 

had helped her celebrate her 80th birthday one night shortly after leaving 

port. Not many souls could have done what she has done. 

After lunch members of the Explorers Club went on a Zodiac and gathered 

on an ice flow for a team photograph. Being on an ice flow that far 

north with the ship in the background was a special experience that will 

be cherished for years to come. 

The three internationally renowned artists hailed from France, Iceland 

and Southern California. After the EC photos were taken, Laguna Beach 

artist Wyland took a shovel and drew the outline of a polar bear on an ice 

flow. 

Later that afternoon another polar bear was spotted by a Waterproof 

guide and this time we were able to come to a stop just a few feet from it. 

The bear strutted back and forth, evidently smelling the food on the ship. 

It showed no nervousness or fear. Polar bears can smell a seal 20 miles 

away. The entire ship’s complement photographed and filmed like there 

was no tomorrow. And, no, we didn’t throw out any milk bones, puppy 

chow, or ham hocks to keep our subject close by. 

After nearly three days exploring the Arctic we returned to the port of 

Longyearbyen to bid au revoir to some of our fellow adventurers and to 

pick up replacements with a hearty Bienvenue, comment allez vous? After 

pulling up anchor we headed out for the famous Scoresbysund Fjord in 

Greenland. We steamed some 210 miles up the fjord, the largest in the 

world. It’s on the southeastern part of Greenland and you can see it on 

any map because its size. Ten miles short of the glacier at the end of the 

fjord, which supplies many of the Atlantic’s large icebergs, we were forced 

to turn around due to the number and size of the icebergs. 

That evening we took photos of the spectacular sunset. The next morning 

we climbed into Zodiacs and went snorkeling in a cove filled with incredible 

rock formations and an abundance of seaweed and colorful jellyfish. 

In the afternoon we took the Zodiacs out again, motoring our 

way around many spectacular icebergs, some small and jewellike, 

others mammoth blocks of ice sculpted by the weather into 

stunningly beautiful works of art. We also motored along rock 

cliffs of the most intricate metamorphic (volcanic) blending of 

multiple molten colors. 

On our second to final day, we hiked into an area with beautiful 

white rabbits and shy, odd-looking musk oxen. I was lucky 

enough to come around a bend and encounter three of them, just 

20 yards away. 

On our final full day, we continued our journey back toward 

the Scoresbysund Fjord entrance. In the morning we trekked inland 

to a place called Harefjord and walked through a dense, 

beech tree forest. Because it was mid September, the leaves of 

the trees were in their full autumn red. But even the mature trees 

were only five to six inches tall. We had climbed a couple hundred 

feet for spectacular views of the fjord and icebergs. 

After returning to the ship, we traveled on sheet glass water to 

Red Island, where we split up into teams of divers, snorkelers 

and Zodiac crews. I was glad I chose to go in a Zodiac because 

we came upon a graveyard of icebergs trapped in a narrow bend 

in the fjord. There were hundreds of them. Miniaturized, they 

would win design awards. Each one more spellbinding than the 

next. 

While videoing with my camera, a large berg started to roll – 

first to one side and then to the other, over and over again, like a giant pendulum. 

Then, came a huge cracking sound as the iceberg calved, producing 

a wave that was thrilling to behold. The animated Australian gal (is there 

any other kind?) seated next to me provided a running commentary with 

Aussie humor and her endearing accent. There were divers not far away 

who got the stuffing scared out of them when the iceberg broke apart. 

They said the sound was deafening and they had no idea what it was. 

Later, we climbed to the top of Red Island for a view of the iceberg graveyard. 

It reminded me of the Rose Parade floats the day after the parade. 

Then it was back to the ship for a final evening barbeque in the most magnificent 

setting anyone could imagine. 

The next morning we anchored off the Ittoqqortoormiit Inuit Village for 

a couple hours of exploring and souvenir shopping. Then we sailed out for 

another day and a half at sea to the Icelandic town of Keflavik, where we 

reluctantly came to the end of our 19 day odyssey. 

Manhattan Beach resident Paul Isley is co-owner of Rainforest Flora in Torrance 

and a member of the Adventurers Club of Los Angeles, past president of 

the Adventurers Club of Chicago and a member of the New York Explorers Club. 

He may be reached at PTI@RainForestFlora.com. 

Editor’s note: Beach readers with vacation stories and photos they think 

would be of interest to other readers are invited to email them to 

EasyReader@EasyReaderNews.com. B 

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sports 

Hard-working senior forward Cameron Williams has played a vital role for Redondo’s boys 

basketball program. Photo by Ray Vidal 

Blue Collar Worker 

Senior forward Cameron Williams has 

become a silent leader for Redondo’s 

elite boys basketball program 

by Randy Angel 

When Reggie Morris, Jr. took over as head boys basketball 

coach at Redondo Union High School prior to the 2012- 

13 season, his main objective was to turn a struggling 

team around and make it one of California’s elite programs. 

It didn’t take long for his philosophy to pay dividends, taking a 

team that finished the previous season with a 10-17 record to a 

CIF-Southern Section Division 2A title and State Division 2 championship 

in his first season. 

Redondo’s rise continued. It competed in Division 2AA in 2013- 

14 and jumped two divisions into Division 1AA for the 2014-15 

campaign. 

Beginning in the 2013-14 season, the CIF-Southern Section created 

a new Open Division. At the end of the season, the top 

teams, regardless of which division they were ranked in, would 

be selected to compete in a tournament that would decide a true 

champion of the section. 

Redondo has been among the teams in the Open Division each 

year since its inception and will undoubtedly be selected again 

this season. 

The Sea Hawks’ rapid rise can be attributed to Morris’s practice 

methods and team concept. Often outsized against other elite 

teams and lacking a “superstar” player, Redondo remains competitive 

with a strong defense and teamwork, with each player 

assigned a specific role. 

Senior Cameron Williams fits Morris’s system to a tee. Although 

soft spoken, the 6-foot-5, 175-pound forward has become 

a leader and a vital cog in the Redondo basketball machine. 

“Cameron is an irreplaceable piece to our team,” Morris said. 

“He does the dirty work and is invaluable to our success. Without 

Cameron we would have no chance at being an elite-level team.” 

Williams feels the biggest strength to his game is his hustle. 

“I do the little things to help our team win like taking charges 

from opposing players and rebounding on both ends of the court,” 

Williams said. “I don’t care much about stats as long as we win.” 

Insider.espn assesses Williams as “a sinewy wing forward type 

that possesses great basketball instincts. He is a quick athlete who 

always appears to be around the ball via rebounding or finishing 

in the paint area. He has very good length, soft hands, and a nice 

touch out to the elbow.” 

Redondo is vying for its fourth consecutive Bay League title and 

hopes to improve on last year’s postseason when the Sea Hawks 

dropped their opening round game in the Open Division tournament 

before losing to Long Beach 48-40 in the Consolation Finals. 

Williams expects Redondo to advance further than the CIF State 

Southern California Regional semifinals, where it has been eliminated 

the last two seasons. 

“I want to end this season with no more losses,” Williams said. 

“I think our chances are very good. We just have to stay together 

as a team and continue to improve every game.” 

At press time, Redondo had an 18-4 record but was stunned by 

a 59-55 home loss to Bay League rival Inglewood on Jan. 29. 

“Everything comes for a reason,” Williams said in reference to 

the Inglewood game. “It was a wake-up call reminding us that we 

can’t take anything for granted. We need to play every team like 

they’re an Open Division opponent.” 

Williams realizes that not being selected to play in the Open 

Division would give Redondo a much better shot at winning a 

CIF title but the team doesn’t consider that an option. 

“We want to play among the very best. We wouldn’t want it 

any other way,” Williams said. “Winning a CIF title against lesser 

opponents wouldn’t mean a thing to us.” 

Williams’s confidence in his team is supported by its performance 

this season but he knows the road to a CIF title will not 

come easy. Seven of the top 20-ranked teams in the state are in 

CIF-SS Division 1 AA. 

Redondo is ranked No. 10 in the state and No. 4 in Division 

1AA. In December, the Sea Hawks dropped back-to-back games 

to Bishop Gorman (ranked No. 2 in 

Nevada) and Prestonwood Christian 

(Plano, Tex.) in the Tarkanian 

Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. 

At the end of the year in the 

MaxPreps Holiday Classic, Redondo 

avenged its earlier loss to 

Bishop Gorman with a 77-69 win 

before giving Chino Hills, the topranked 

team in the nation and CIF- 

SS Division 1AA, all it could 

handle in a 96-80 defeat. 

Despite the setbacks, Redondo 

has enjoyed quality wins including 

victories over three of the state’s 

top 25 teams. The Sea Hawks 

handed No. 4 Folsom one of its 

only two losses on the season, 

knocked off No.12 Westchester 

and beat No. 24 Sheldon of Sacramento. 

Redondo has also defeated 

Florida’s fifth-ranked team Dillard 

of Fort Lauderdale and Arizona’s 

sixth-ranked team Bentonville. 

Williams scored 16 points, 

grabbed seven rebounds and had 

three assists against Chino Hills 

and led Redondo to the Pacific 

Shores championship, where he 

earned Tournament MVP honors. 

Williams said his two most 

memorable moments as a Sea 

Hawk also came during the Pacific 

Shores competition. As a junior, he 

scored 22 points in a 77-69 win 

against Serra and as a sophomore 

he grabbed 16 rebounds in a 66-60 

victory over Campbell Hall. 

Winning the highly-competitive 

Tarkanian Classic last season and 

playing in the CIF State tournament 

are tops on Williams’s prep 

career highlight list. 

Williams was introduced to basketball 

when he was five years old 

and began playing at the YMCA in 

Westchester. Although his two 

older brothers were not athleticminded, 

both parents played high 

school sports. 

Dad Gregory played basketball 

and football and mother, Yvette, 

competed in girls volleyball. 

“My parents have been the 

biggest influence on my life and 

athletic career,” Williams said. “My 

dad was the first one to teach me 

basketball and my mom learned to 

love the game along with me.” 

Williams also credits his coaches 

and teammates for his success as a 

player and a person. 

“Coach Morris pushes us,” 

Williams explained. “He holds high 

energy, competitive practices that 

help us in the long run. He’s 

helped me with my discipline by 

setting rules and I’ve learned to 

keep my head in the game for four 

quarters.” 

Last summer, Williams played 

for the Hometown Favorites, a 

travel team coached by Morris. 

“Cameron is a man of few 

words, but when he does voice his 

opinion he is always heard,” Morris 

said. “He is a hard worker and 

is a great young man that comes 

from a great family.” 

Maintaining a 3.6 GPA – in addition 

to practices and games on the 

hardwood – allows little free time 

for Williams so he takes advantage 

of every opportunity to relax. 

“Our team has great chemistry 

and hangs out a lot at each other’s 

homes,” Williams said. “My teammates 

always pick me up when 

I’m a little down.” 

Like many teenagers, playing 

video games is a part of socializing 

and it's no surprise that one of the 

favorites among the Sea Hawks is 

NBA 2K16. 

Williams hopes a deep run in the 

playoffs will help him achieve his 

goal of receiving a scholarship and 

playing basketball in college. 

“I used to think I would like to 

go into engineering but math is my 

least favorite class,” Williams said. 

“I would like to remain in athletics, 

though, possibly going into sports 

medicine.” B 

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your space in this 

Reserve section for 

the next 

Beach Magazine 

Pub Date: March 10, 2016 • Deadline Date: February 26, 2016 

424-269-2830 

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Beach Feb 2016

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